Fox Notches 29th Month as Number One Cable Network

Fox News’ monster ratings kept them steady in the number one cable spot in November, while cable news competitors CNN and MSNBC were unable to best the cheesy holiday movies featured on the Hallmark Channel.

November marked Fox’s 29th consecutive month as the highest-rated cable network in total day, according to Nielsen Media Research. However, the cable news giant fell to second behind ESPN in primetime ratings.

MSNBC finished fourth in each category behind Fox, ESPN, and Hallmark, while CNN finished sixth in each category. CNN lost to USA Network in primetime and Nickelodeon in total day.

TOTAL DAY:

Fox News: 1,475,000

MSNBC: 1,024,000

CNN: 761,000

PRIMETIME:

Fox News: 2,439,000

MSNBC: 1,835,000

CNN: 1,119,000

Fox was also able to batter CNN and MSNBC in the coveted 25-54 age demographic, although CNN experienced much larger growth in that category. CNN’s primetime viewership in the demo was up 24 percent last month.

“Hannity” was the most watched show on cable news for the month, reaching an average of more than 3 million viewers, compared to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s 2.9 million.

CNN’s highest rated program, “Chris Cuomo Primetime,” lagged behind competitors in 23rd place with an average of 1.2 million viewers.

Fox’s sister network, Fox Business Network, was similarly dominant in business news ratings, scoring their 18th consecutive month as the leader in business news. FBN’s Business Day coverage was 15 percent higher than competitor CNBC, while their total day coverage was 4 percent higher.